Hand-held discharger



Jan. 10, 1956 G. NEELY 2,730,093

' HAND-HELD DISCHARGER Filed Nov. '7, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w INVENTOR GEORGE L. NEELV Jan. 10, 1956 G. L. NEELY HAND-HELD DISCHARGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 7, 1952 m l 0 o a GEORGE L. NEELV BYM TOR E HAN D-HELD DISCHARGER George L. Neely, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to California Research Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application November 7, 1952, Serial No. 319,219

Claims. (Cl. 123-1875) The present invention relates to hand-held discharger apparatusv for releasing the contents of a pressurized fluid bulb, and has for an object the provision of a hand-held discharger having an expansion chamber chargeable with a fluid containing both liquid and gas through a single charging passageway to permit the controlled release of a desired quantity of volatile starting fluid from a pressurized and sealed bulb containing said fluid into the intake system of an internal combustion engine.

In the operation of hand-cranked internal combustion engines, such as those used as power plants for outboard motors, lawn mowers, washing machines and auxiliary electrical generating plants, it is frequently diflicult to start these engines even under. the most favorable conditions of temperature and humidity. This is in part due to the low cranking speed and the fewnumber of revolutions which it is possible to rotate the crank shaft of the engine. While volatile starting fluids with high flammability characteristic have been used in the starting of this type of. internal combustion engines, the most effective materials are so highly volatile that it is very difficult to store thefluid in ordinary containers,.and the storage of any quantity of these highly flammable materials creates a serious fire and explosion hazard- For these reasons it has long been desired to have available a safe and eifective means of storing a very small quantity of volatile starting fluid and to have the fluid available in a spray or aerosol form for introducing a desired quantity into the intake system of an internal combustion engine.

There is disclosed in my U. S..Patent No. 2,601,211, issued lunel7, 1952, a discharger for pressurized metal bulbs particularly useful as a permanently installed accessory, in the starting of automobiles, trucks, buses, tractors, aircraftengines, marine enginesand the like, in which the entire contents of one or more pressurized metal bulbs may be introduced into the intake system of these engines. The arrangement described in the patent is extremely useful in the starting of Diesel and sparkignition engines in general. However, where the engines have not been equipped with permanently-installed dischargers, a. hand-held unit is of great usefulness, even though one or more pressurizedbulbs may be required on some of the larger engines when starting at very low temperatures. Also, in the starting of small spark-ignition engines the presence of a charge of starting-fluid such as that contained in a metal bulb of the type shown in my above-identified patent is wasteful of the starting fluid if introduced into the intake of an engine of small internal displacement incapable of utilizing this quantity of fluid.

In carrying out .the present invention, the foregoing requirements of controllably releasing the contents of one or more pressurized bulbs containing a volatile starting fluid to introduce a desired quantity of said starting fluid into the intake system of an internal combustion engine is accomplished by theprovision. of a sealed expansion chamber having a single filling an charging conduit for admitting thepressurized fluid contents from said bulb. Saidsingle conduit forms the only charging means for nited States Patent 0 2,730,093 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 ice said sealed chamber and has disposed therein a perforating means. Said valve means is biased to a closed position by the pressure of fluid in said expansion chamber when the end of said bulb is removed from said charging passageway.

Further objectsand advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form an integral part of the present specification.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional view of a hand-held discharger for pressurized metal bulbs constructed in accordance with the'present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the discharger shown in Fig. 1.

Fig.3 is a partial side elevation view in the direction of arrows 3-3 in Fig. 1.

' Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to Fig. 1, there is shown a hand-held discharger which includes a body member, designated generally as 19, having formed in the bottom thereof a fixed volume expansion chamber '11 which is substantially sealed from the atmosphere by a piston-operated, pressure-responsive valve means, designated generally as 12, disposed in the single filling and charging means, conduit 1.3, which opens directly into expansion chamber 11.

As particularly distinguished from previously-known dischargers, charging passageway 13 provides the sole filling and charging conduit for admitting fluid into expansion chamber 11. Since both the volatile fluid and the operating pressurizing gas are introduced from a sealed, pressurized metal bulb 17, single passageway 13 basedditionally provided therein a hardened steel piercing pin 13 positioned to contact and perforate the perforable end 15 of. bulb 17 when end 19 of the bulb is in sealed engagement with passageway 13 by reason of the sides of end 19 compressing a seal-2i). Bulb 17 is urged into sealing engagement with seal 2% by means of a bulb receiver 21 which is provided with threads 22 engaging complementary threads on the outer surface of single charging passageway 13.

A hand-operable valve means 14 is positioned between a discharge tube 15 which has its intake located adjacent the bottom of expansion chamber 11 and a spray nozzle 16 adapted to introduce a spray of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine.

As described in my aforementioned Patent No. 2,601,211, bulb 17 may be filled with any suitable volatile material and subsequently pressurized with a volatile vapor. 'The'perforable end 1% is then sealed by welding or other forms of bonding so that the entire contents of the bulb may be held at elevated pressures upward of 690 pounds per square inch at extremely high temperatures without danger of evaporation or leakage. While such elevated pressures are desirable for use of the bulb in the starting of large internal combustion engines, wherein one or more bulbs may be required in order to successfully start the engine under low temperature conditions, such high pressures are extremely difficult to handle where it is desired to meter a limited .quantity or portion of the contents into an internal combustion engine.

In accordance with the present invention, the entire contents of bulb 17 are introduced through single charging passageway 13 and through valve means 12 into expansion chamber 11. In the preferred form of the 1nvention, the pressurized metal bulb 17 contains approximately 10 cubic centimeters of a volatile compound containing diethyl ether and a gaseous component, such as methane or ethylene while the fixed volume expansion chamber 11 has a volume of approximately cubic inches. While in the preferred manner of operation the contents of a single bulb will be discharged into expansion chamber 11 and utilized at will until expended, it is possible for a plurality of bulbs to be successively discharged through the single charging passageway 13 into expansion chamber 11.

To permit addition of the contents of one or more bulbs into expansion chamber 11, valve means 12 is disposed in the charging passageway and is of the pistonoperated type, in which a reciprocable valve stem 26 is movable by the pressures appearing on the opposite ends of the piston member 23 formed integral with valve stem 26. Valve stem 26 is normally biased to a position such that expansion chamber 11 is sealed from charging passageway 13 by coil spring 25. However, in operation, the movement of valve stem 26 is effectively under the control of the pressures appearing on the opposite ends of piston member 23. When bulb 17 is withdrawn from sealing engagement with seal 20, with expansion chamber 11 pressurized, valve 26 is moved upwardly by the pressure in chamber 11 acting on piston member 23 to prevent escape of vapor from the expansion chamber.

As particularly shown in Fig. 1, bulb receiver 21 includes a pair of lugs 21A and 21B which facilitate the urging of perforable end 19 of bulb 17 into engagement with the perforating means, pin 18, and moves valve stem 26 to the open position shown so that there is provided free communication through the hollow stem of pin 18 and the valve ports 24 in stem 26. Free communication between bulb 17 and expansion chamber 11 is eifected in this manner to permit the entire contents, both liquid and gas, and the admixed phases thereof in bulb 17 to enter expansion chamber 11.

When it is desired to withdraw bulb 17 from sealed communication with sealed chamber 11 for recharging of the chamber, valve stem 26 is urged into a closed position to seal chamber 11 by the combined pressure of spring 25 and the residual gas pressure in chamber 11 acting on the lower end of piston element 23. For purposes of preventing steel shavings and other debris that may be introduced through single charging passageway 13 from entering chamber 11, a tubular screen 27 is provided below passageway 13.

Volatile contents of bulb 17, when reduced to a desired operating pressure within expansion chamber 11,

may be introduced into the intake system of an internal combustion engine in any desired amount through discharge tube 15 and spray nozzle 16. Control of the flow of fluid through discharge tube 15 is controlled by handoperable valve 14 which may be opened by angular movement of the operating lever means, which includes ring 36, pivoted on body member by movement about the pivot points 37. In the present embodiment, the lever means also includes a bale-like pivot wire 38 passing through diametrically-opposed pivot points 37, the latter being particularly shown in Fig. 2. Valve 14, preventing'the escape of starting fluid from expansion chamber 11, is held in a closed position by a compression spring 39 compressed between the end of operating ring 36 and the top of body member 10.

For the purpose of preventing inadvertent operation of valve 14 and thereby permitting escape of volatile material from expansion chamber 11, a safety latch means, shown'in its latched position in Fig. 3, is provided for holding nozzle 16 and the end of operating ring 36 in such a position that valve 14 cannot be opened. This 4. safety means in the preferred embodiment includes a hook member 30 pivoted about a support on body 10, shown as a screw 31. For operation of valve 14, hook 30 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 3 so that operating ring 36 is released.

Spray nozzle 16 may have any suitable configuration for introducing a spray of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine but, in the preferred form of the invention, is so arranged that an aerosol-type spray is produced under the conditions of pressure normally prevailing in expansion chamber 11. As shown, nozzle 16 includes a filter screen 32.

As seen in Fig. 1, the valve 14 comprises a standing valve seat 33 adapted to engage the outlet end of discharge tube 15. To prevent escape of the volatile fluid from chamber 11 during such time as the hand-operating lever means, ring 26, is depressed, annular sealing ring 34 is provided to surround and engage closely a portion of discharge tube 15. The seal 34 and valve element 33 in the present embodiment are preferably formed of Teflon (polytetrafluroethylene) While numerous modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description, all such modifications and changes which fall within the scope of the appended claims are intended to be embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. In a hand-held discharger for introducing starting fluid into the intake system of an internal combustion engine from a sealed bulb containing a starting fluid under pressure, means forming a unitary sealed expansion chamber, a single filling and charging conduit means forming the only entry path for fluid into said sealed expansion chamber for admitting the pressurized fluid contents from said bulb into said sealed expansion chamber, perforating means disposed in said conduit means for releasing the contents of said bulb, means for sealing together said bulb and said expansion chamber when the interior of said bulb is in communication with said expansion chamber, pressure responsive valve means in said conduit means to retain fluid when said bulb is withdrawn, and discharging means for said sealed expansion chamber including hand-operable valve means for releasing a desired quantity of the fluid from said expansion chamber into the intake system of an internal combustion engine.

2. A hand-held fluid discharger for releasing a desired quantity of fluid from a sealed bulb containing fluid under pressure comprising means forming a sealed unitary expansion chamber of fixed volume, a single charging passageway means forming the only path for entry of fluids into said chamber, means for receiving a sealed bulb containing fluid under pressure, means including the bulb receiving means for urging the perforable end of said bulb into communication with said passageway means, perforating means disposed in said charging passageway means for releasing the contents of said bulb into said passageway means, pressure-responsive valve means operable to an open position by the insertion of the perforable end of said bulb into said passageway means, said valve means being biased to a closed position by the pressure of fluid in said expansion chamber when said end of said bulb is removed from said passageway means, discharge tube means for connecting said expansion chamber to a spray nozzle, hand-operable valve means between the intake of said discharge tube means and said spray nozzle and resilient means for urging said hand-operable valve means to a normally closed position.

3. A hand-held starting fluid discharger for introducing a charge of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine comprising a body member having a permanently-sealed unitary expansion chamber of fixed volume therein, a single, charging passageway means forming the only path for entry of fluids into said chamber, means for receiving a starting fluid bulb and urging the perforable end of said bulb into communication with said passageway means, perforating means disposed in said charging passageway means for releasing the volatile contents of said bulb into said passageway means, first valve means operable by the insertion of the perforable end of said bulb into said passageway means, said valve means being operable to open said passageway means when said end of said bulb is sealed in communication therewith to admit the contents of said bulb to said expansion chamber, a discharging tube forming a discharge passageway between said expansion chamber and an injection nozzle, said injection nozzle being adapted to introduce a spray of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine, and hand-operable valve means between the intake of said discharging tube and said injection nozzle for controlling the amount of volatile fluid released from said expansion chamber.

4. A hand-held starting fluid discharger for introducing a charge of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine comprising a body member having a permanently-sealed unitary expansion chamber of fixed volume therein, a single, charging passageway means forming the only path for entry of fluids into said chamber, means for receiving a starting fluid bulb and urging the perforable end of said bulb into communication with said passageway means, sealing means between said perforable end of said bulb and said passageway means, perforating means disposed in said charging passageway means for releasing the volatile contents of said bulb into said passageway means, first valve means operable by the 9 insertion of the perforable end of said bulb into said passageway means to open said valve means when said bulb is sealed in communication with said passageway means, said valve means being responsive to the pressure of the volatile material in said expansion chamber to close said valve when said bulb is withdrawn from sealing engagement with said charging passageway means, a discharging tube forming a discharge passageway between said expansion chamber and an injection nozzle, said in jection nozzle being adapted to introduce a spray of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine, and a hand-operable valve means between the intake of said discharging tube and said injection nozzle for controlling the amount of volatile fluid released from said expansion chamber.

5. Discharger apparatus for metering a desired quantity of volatile starting fluid into" the intake system of an internal combustion engine from a sealed bulb containing the starting fluid under pressure comprising means forming a permanently-sealed expansion chamber having a fixed volume for receiving the volatile contents of a plurality of starting fluid bulbs, a passageway means for admitting the contents of one of said plurality of bulbs, said passageway means forming the only path for entry of fluids into said expansion chamber, bulb receiving means for placing a perforable end of a bulb containing volatile material in communication with the outer end of said passageway means, perforating means in said passageway means, said bulb receiving means being arranged to urge the perforable end of said bulb into perforating engagement with the end of said perforating means, first valve means in said passageway means between said perforating means and said chamber, said valve means being operable to an open position when said perforable end of said bulb is in communication with said passageway means and operated to a closed position to prevent escape of said material when the contents of at least one of said plurality of bulbs is placed in said chamber, tube means forming a discharge passageway between said expansion chamber and an injection nozzle, said injection nozzle being adapted to introduce a spray of volatile material into the intake system of an internal combustion engine, second valve means between the intake of said tube means in said chamber and said injection nozzle, resilient means for maintaining said second valve means in a closed position and hand-operable lever means for operating said last-named valve means for metering a desired amount of volatile fluid released from said expansion chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 629,752 Murray July 25, 1899 2,047,096 Brewer July 7, 1936 2,105,487 Lozon Jan. 18, 1938 2,485,423 Weaver Oct. 18, 1949 2,601,211 Neely June 17, 1952 2,628,130 Knapp Feb. 10, 1953 2,658,490 Bevis et al. Nov. 10, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 544,815 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1942 

